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[Refugee or immigrant children in hospital]
1Barneavdelingen Aker sykehus, Oslo.
Insights
Pediatric refugee and immigrant children in Oslo experienced communication barriers with healthcare staff, impacting care. Addressing these language and education gaps is crucial for improving health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare
- Public health
- Cross-cultural medicine
Context:
- Study examines refugee and immigrant children admitted to Aker University Hospital's Paediatric Ward.
- Investigates diagnoses, length of stay, and ethnic backgrounds.
- Focuses on children from Oslo's vicinity.
Purpose:
- To understand the health profiles of pediatric refugees and immigrants.
- To assess communication effectiveness between hospital staff and families.
- To identify challenges in healthcare delivery for vulnerable pediatric populations.
Summary:
- 347 children were studied; 133 had non-western born parents.
- Refugee and immigrant children had median stays of 2-3 days, often admitted for respiratory issues or unclear symptoms.
- Over 40% of families experienced unsatisfactory communication, with significant language barriers and lower educational attainment among mothers.
Impact:
- Highlights significant communication challenges in pediatric care for refugee and immigrant families.
- Reveals disparities in healthcare access and communication due to language and education.
- Underscores the need for culturally sensitive healthcare strategies and improved communication protocols.
Abstract:
The aim of the study was to gain knowledge of the diagnosis, length of hospital stay, and ethnic background of refugee and immigrant children admitted to the Paediatric Ward at Aker University Hospital in Oslo, and to find out how well the staff and families of the children communicated. 347 children, admitted from ten districts in the immediate vicinity of the hospital, were included in the study. 133 (38%) children had parents who were both born in a non-western country. 44 of the children came from a refugee background and 89 from an immigrant background. The median stay on the Paediatric Ward was three days for the immigrant children and two days for the refugee children and children from Western countries. None of the groups was admitted more frequently than the others. Refugee and immigrant children were most often admitted because of respiratory diseases or obscure symptoms. Communication between the staff and more than 40% of the families with refugee or immigrant backgrounds was not satisfactory. Three out of four mothers and one out of two fathers were unable to communicate well in Norwegian. One third of the mothers had less than six years of school education and one quarter of the immigrant mothers had never attended school.